The best podcasts deliver high quality content. For entrepreneurs they can help you gain traction in various areas of your business. The advice is practical and duplicatable. Valuable podcasts teach you how to think.
Essentially, successful podcasters and their guests share mental models, an explanation of their thought process about how something works in the real world. This gives listeners a chance to understand their thoughts and reasoning in a framework (e.g., what it takes to ideate, start, build and sustain a startup).
Here’s a look at five podcasts for entrepreneurs that provide tangible insights and mental models.
1. Marketing School Podcast
The unconventional marketing wisdom of Neil Patel and Eric Siu is priceless.
Marketing School’s actionable marketing advice delivers the right tips to take your business to the next level. From ‘7 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Growth Hacker’ to ‘7 Free Marketing Tools You Ought to Use’, Neil and Eric deliver maximum value from a digital marketing perspective. They do an amazing job at articulating the exact tactics and how to execute simple and sometimes difficult tasks. Their fast-paced 10 minute podcast leaves no time to waste.
Mental models: The podcast helps young entrepreneurs go from wantrepreneur to an entrepreneur. Their tangible insights may not be applicable today, but as you grow certain tactics will become more applicable. Take notes and organize them according to subject matter.
2. How I Built This
‘ How I Built This’ is a podcast, hosted by Guy Raz, about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Each episode is a narrative journey marked by triumphs, failures, serendipity and insight — told by the founders of some of the world’s best known companies and brands.
This amazing podcast provides interesting breaks, music, story lines, and themes that hold your attention. The show schedule is random, which can keep subscribers on their toes, eager for the next episode.
Mental models: Each episode delivers an in-depth look at the genesis of an entrepreneurs journey. Pay attention to the questions Guy Raz asks his guests and compare stories and perspectives. For example, this podcast has helped me learn how to view the world from different entrepreneurial perspectives. The insights I’ve learned has taught me how to be a more effective leader, product developer, marketer and overall entrepreneur. Listening to each entrepreneurs’ story and applying their best practices can make you a more well-rounded entrepreneur.
3. Mixergy
Hosted by Andrew Warner, Mixergy is amazing and irreplaceable. His podcast provides education for startups and entrepreneurs. Mixergy interviews entrepreneurs and authors — think, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Paul Graham, Eric Ries, Barbara Corcoran and more — in order to teach ambitious upstarts.
The podcast provides so much value from the first few minutes. Warner dives deep into the nuts and bolts of business and recaps key points from the interview.
Mental models: Mixergy helps listeners uncover the true reason behind major business failures and successes. When listening to Mixergy, pay close attention to the lessons learned (e.g. core reasons and ways to sell a company, how to partner up for business development, when to bring on your first team member and more. This podcast does an amazing job of describing the “how to” behind the advice.
4. The Entreleadership Podcast
If you have an appreciation for culture and leadership, this podcast hosted by Ken Coleman, is worth a listen. The EntreLeadership Podcast features lively discussions and tips on leadership and business by some of the top minds in the business, like Mark Cuban, Seth Godin, Jim Collins and Simon Sinek.
Mental models: The podcast guests explain how to think and view the business world. Their insights provides a solid foundation for executing the tactics. Only great entrepreneurs and brands can explain the impact culture and leadership has on aspects of business, from product design to creativity and overall success. Tools have their place, but the right people have to execute. Entreleadership focuses on this paradigm. This podcast is brilliant and this may be the most impactful yet.
5. Inside Quest
Roadblocks, influences, lessons learned, and rules to live by are the meat of Inside Quest, hosted by Tom Bilyeu, Co-founder and President of Quest Nutrition, where he guides the company’s culture of passion and transformation. If you want to find your passion and evolve your mindset, this podcast should be on your list.
The podcast equips listeners with the tools they need to discover and walk their own path to success. Inside Quest brings together the conversational enthusiasm of a podcast with the intention and structure of a Charlie Rose-style talk show. The show format allows for deep authentic discussions.
Mental models: This podcast is good at delivering insights on interviewing style and organizational culture. The host has an impactful interview style and unorthodox habits of Q&A development. At the heart of the Quest Community is an active belief system of self-empowerment. The belief system can be learned, but it can not be taught.
This article has been edited.
Anthony Vaughan, founder of Cognizance Capital Consulting, founded and operated a 8-figure business at 21 and has most recently ran a 6-figure business for the past 24 months. Vaughan is an advisor to over 650+ entrepreneurs and has spoken at business schools including:Texas A&M, Maryland University, Towson University, McDaniel University and California State. His goal is to have 1-10% stake in 100 brands and to leave an impact on the world of entrepreneurship. Connect with @cognizancec on Twitter.
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